#99: SPEED (1994)

 

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, a few times

BEST SEQUENCE

If I have to choose, the early part where Keanu chases after the bus and jumps onto it, but really, the entire middle hour of this movie is a glorious thrill ride that just won’t quit

BEST LINE

“Pop quiz, hotshot” - Choosing this because it’s a line that I say frequently myself, and for years I didn’t even know what it was from. In truth, I may have first picked it up from the Leslie Nielsen movie Spy Hard, which has a Speed parody scene and also includes this line and is a really terrible movie.

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

94%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

“A terrific popcorn thriller, Speed is taut, tense, and energetic, with outstanding performances from Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock.”

IMDB SYNOPSIS

“A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.”

THOUGHTS

• Let’s cut to the chase. As mentioned above, I think the middle hour of this movie, everything that happens on “the bus that couldn’t slow down,” is perfect. If that was all this movie consisted of, I’d happily give it a 10/10 on the Thrill Scale. The driving stunts are some of the best I’ve seen, and I whole-heartedly buy into the escalating series of events.
• The AFI put this at number 99 on their list, but I really think it deserves a higher placement, maybe even in the top 20.
• Do some of the events strain credulity? Sure. But you don’t have enough TIME to stop and question anything! Buckle in and just enjoy the ride. And I’m being extra picky here in even pointing this out, I’ve never watched this movie and scoffed in disbelief. I just grin in delight.
• When you boil a movie like this down to a one-sentence description, you sell it short. I mean, essentially yes, this movie is about a bus that can’t slow down or it will explode. But the fun part is in what the movie does with this bus! The filmmakers thoroughly explored the potential of this scenario in a way that makes sense to me and leaves me satisfied with the situations they chose to throw at this bus. I also think the pacing is top-notch.
• Keanu Reeves doesn’t bring a ton of personality to his role, but I think that’s perfectly fine - it’s not needed. He sells the action, performs some pretty impressive stunts, and hey, he’s not too hard on the eyes either!
• Besides, we’ve got Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock for personality. Hopper is cocky and crazed, with some great line deliveries, and Bullock is cute and capable, with some very 90s frilly socks.
• We’ve also got some familiar faces playing passengers on the bus, including Alan Ruck (Cameron from Ferris Bueller) and, much to my delight, an actress named Beth Grant, who I recognized from the Dinner Party episode of The Office, in which she played Dwight’s former babysitter/current dinner party date (“Purely carnal. That’s all you need to know.”)
• So why, oh why, does this movie only get a 9/10 on the Thrill Scale? Well, the bookends of this movie, the first half hour and the last half hour, just can’t compare to what comes between them. And the thing is, these set pieces are fine! Like I don’t think they’re awful, they just pale in comparison to the impeccable middle hour. Am I being too harsh in dropping this movie down on the Thrill Scale just because the middle section is an act that can’t be topped? Maybe. But you know what they say, life isn’t...fare…
• And on that note, I shall leave you with Ashley’s one-sentence review: “Speed: You can tap on but you can’t tap out”

Up next: #98 on the list, the Coen Brothers’ first movie, Blood Simple. Despite being a big fan of the Coens, this is one I’ve never seen, so I’m looking forward to it!